Hard to pick a favorite, but I have soft spot for the burgers at Shady Glen in Manchester, CT. The meat is overlapped on all sides with cheese slices that get crispy on the griddle. A good throwback place that's been open since the 40s.

Any thoughts on modifying your Ultra-Crispy Roast Potatoes to use a deep fryer in place of the roasting step? I can see a few possible benefits--browning on all sides at once, faster cooking time, and freeing up more space in the oven for other side dishes. Any recommendations on time and temp?

I found a gorgeous bunch of baby spring carrots at the farmer's market the other morning while I was doing a bit of shopping for a cook-out that afternoon. My mind strayed to a trip to Morocco, where I'd eaten a crazy good dip made from carrots and aromatics. Spicy, sweet, and pungent, I wondered if the toasty, sweet flavor of the caramel-glazed carrots would work in the dish. More

Heinz has totally spoiled me. When Erin asked if I'd be interested in starting up this new "Sauced" column, I started racking my brain about what condiment to tackle first. I could think of nothing more fitting, more ubiquitous, than ketchup. You hardly ever stop to think about what goes into making ketchup. Usually, a bottle of Heinz is just hanging out in the fridge and, well, it tastes exactly the way it should. Is it even work making a version from scratch? More

This "Memphis-style" is my favorite to make at home—it takes the aspects of sweet tomato-based sauces I grew up on, but by dialing back the sugar and amping up the vinegar, creates a sauce where seasonings and spice are more defined and achieves a pleasing balance between the main defining aspects of a barbecue sauce. More

Sometimes it's the simplest of sauces that can save the day. With my chili-spiced skirt steak tacos missing something, this four-ingredient cilantro cream quickly added cool, fresh tang to round out the tacos. More

Ever since discovering Mojo sauce as the "secret" ingredient to one of my favorite rotisserie chickens, I've been all over this stuff. As a marinade, baste, or dip, this pungent, acidic sauce packs a massive amount of flavor. More

After a few months of writing the Sauced column, my first inclination whenever trying a new sauce is now always, "how can I make this at home?" This was the case for a Romesco sauce—a roasted red pepper and almond spread originating in the Catalonia area of Spain—I savored while out a couple weeks ago. More

I was never quite happy with the hummus and baba ganoush coming out of my kitchen until I decided to take tahini into my own hands. Making it is actually really simple. I've never looked back to the bottled stuff. More

Hummus with pita chips is my go-to snack (anyone else?). Until recently, I lived off the storebought variety, with my homemade hummus never being up to snuff with the likes of Sabra. But then I had a revelation in hummus-making. More

I spent a semester of my college career in Tel Aviv and developed a strong taste for Israeli salad, which more correctly traces its roots to a Palestinian origin. The combo is a simple mix of diced fresh vegetables, lemon, juice, and oil. More